The Color of Eternity
by cynthiarox66
Summary: In the safety of each other's arms one night, they had discussed the end of the world. She thought it would be red. He thought it would be black. But when the moment came, it was neither. KiritoxAsuna. Set during their honeymoon and then right before Aincrad fell apart.


**I haven't watched any anime in a really long time so I was a bit tentative when I dove into SAO, but goodness, I'm SO glad I watched it. Finished all the episodes in 2 days. The premise was amazing but more importantly, it had absolutely one of the BEST couples that I've ever witnessed. I love how Kirito and Asuna were equals (some argue that Kirito is OP and that Asuna cannot really compare, but if you study their boss fights then you'll realize that a lot of the times, Kirito NEEDS Asuna. Triple sword attack, anyone?). I'm still mourning the end the series, so here's a little something that I've written just to spew out some of my spazzing over how epic the pairing is. I'm still caught in in finishing a multi-chaptered Spirited Away fanfic, so it's only a dabble, but enjoy!**

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"Will it hurt?"

"No—we haven't felt any pain so far, have we?"

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" Asuna had whispered, tucking her chin neatly into the covers.

Kirito had found her hand, that deceivingly slender and dainty hand. It had chopped vegetables and prepared meals with care, but it was also the hand that wielded a weapon graced by blood, blood of monsters and evil. Now, it rested over her heart, warm and steady when he touched it.

In the dim glow of the moon, she had smiled and taken his fingers in hers, lacing them through and through. In the dim, he had blushed, for no good reason really except that his heart beat painfully in his throat. "No," he mumbled. "Sometimes I feel that way, too."

She sighed, her face a pillow length away, sweet breath brushing his cheek. "Now you're the one being silly. I believe in you. I believe you won't have to witness the end of this world. You'll have cleared all the floors before then."

He had closed his eyes then. Kirito didn't like to think about the future too much. Granted, he and Asuna and the others were the closest ones to the future, always pressing at the front lines. But sometimes the future was just too ambiguous, too large a phenomenon to grasp. Sometimes, Kirito would have given anything to not worry about their bodies in the real world, given anything for a nap in the grass next to Asuna rather than a fight.

When he opened his eyes again, Asuna was looking at him with those soft but acute onyx eyes of hers.

"Why are we talking about this, anyway?" he murmured.

"Hmm…I said that the world would end in red."

He had snorted incredulously. "And I still stand by black."

"Of course you would, Blackswordsman-sama," she teased, poking his nose with a finger.

He had pulled her closer, gathered her in his arms. "Let's not talk about this tonight, okay?"

Thankfully, she had smiled and nodded, nuzzling his forehead with hers. "All right, Kirito-kun."

From half-closed eyes, he watched her eyelids flutter shut, heard her breaths level out and deepen, felt her body curl to fit into his. Kirito's own eyes were feeling heavier; her soft fragrance fuzzed his thoughts. He longed to succumb to sleep. But he had stayed awake just a little longer, trying to memorize the way the moonlight touched a crown of bronze around her fair temple, the way his arm settled around her waist. He tried to memorize the smell of wood varnish smell in their house, the house that had cost all of their combined money. It was the best purchase that Kirito had ever made.

He had memorized all these things because as much as he didn't want to admit, the world would end. One day, some way or another, by his hand or not, all of this would shatter and disintegrate.

**~(***)~**

Now, as they sat on the edge of the universe, Kirito reached for her hand again. He needed to feel the warmth of her fingers, to convince himself for these few minutes that she had not died. Not Asuna. She would never die.

She laced her fingers through his, through and through, and turned to him with a small smile. "I guess we were both wrong." The dying sun licked like fire on her hair.

"Yeah," Kirito croaked. "I guess we were." The end of the world was not black nor red but gold and orange

"But I was closer," she insisted. "Red is closer to orange than black."

"It is…it is—"

He broke off into a sob and did his best to swallow it, but she noticed and shushed him with a kiss. She tasted of the sun and spice. He was pretty sure he tasted of tears.

"I'm turning soft," Kirito tried to joke when they broke away, but to his alarm, tears were actually rolling down his face.

Asuna was crying, too. "Never. You'll always be saving the world and slaying bosses. You'll always be my battle partner."

Then they clutched each other and wept, her tears soaking his collar and his falling on her head. They were pathetic, Kirito thought, but he didn't care. He'd rather they stay in this moment forever, in this moment before the world ended.

"You know what's the same in this world and the other?" Asuna said at last with a small hiccup.

"What?"

"The sun. It's the same sun. It'll rise in the east and set in the west. Orange and gold. Orange and gold."

"Orange and gold—the color of the sun."

Asuna smiled at him. "The color of eternity." Then she leaned and whispered into his ear, _"We will meet again."_

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**Let me know what you think! I'd love to know why you love this couple/favorite scenes! Mine was right before they went into their last boss fight, when Asuna reminded Kirito of their bodies' states in the real world. I have a thing for angst, teehee :) All reviews/feedback/criticism are GREATLY appreciated._  
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